To find the fastest-growing cities in California, NerdWallet evaluated 325 cities, towns and census-designated places and examined the following variables:

• Population growth
• Employment growth
• Income growth

“San Ramon’s strong population and income growth helped support the city’s high ranking on our list,” NerdWallet analyst Maggie Clark said. “The population of San Ramon increased by 44% from 2009 to 2012, while incomes grew by 12.6% during that same period.”

This East Bay city experienced the highest level of population growth out of the 325 cities surveyed, and city planners expect the growth to continue. By 2020, San Ramon could potentially have more than 74,000 residents, according to city officials. Residents here can commute to San Francisco via BART, and NerdWallet recently ranked San Ramon as the best city for job seekers in California.

Other places in the top 20 include Reedley and San Fernando. See the full study here.